Sex, subjectivity and agency: A life history study of women's sexual relations and practices with men
Field | Value | Language |
dc.contributor.author | Bryant, Joanne | en_AU |
dc.date.accessioned | 2006-03-27 | |
dc.date.available | 2006-03-27 | |
dc.date.issued | 2004-01-01 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2123/575 | |
dc.description.abstract | This study explores women’s experiences of sex with men. It is based on qualitative data collected from eighteen life history interviews. Such an approach provides means for examining women’s sexual experiences over time. The study finds that women give meaning to their sexual experiences through two main discursive representations: the passive, “proper” and sexually obliging girlfriend or wife, and the active and “sexually equal” woman. However, these representations do not capture the entirety of women’s sexual experiences. The life history analysis demonstrates that women are not simply inscribed by discourse. Rather, they are embodied beings actively engaged in pursuing sexual identities. Central to the process is a relationship between the practice of sex and self-reflexivity over time. Finally, the study demonstrates how the process of gaining sexual subjectivity is shaped by the material conditions of women’s lives. For instance, the praxeological circumstances of women’s class or race are powerful in recasting discourses of feminine sexuality, the meanings women ascribe to them, their access to broader sexual experiences, and the kinds of relationships they have with their male partners. | en_AU |
dc.format.extent | 236589 bytes | |
dc.format.extent | 914246 bytes | |
dc.format.extent | 211711 bytes | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language | en | en_AU |
dc.language.iso | en_AU | |
dc.rights | Copyright Bryant, Joanne;http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/copyright.html | en_AU |
dc.subject | subjectivity;sexuality;femininity;embodiment;life history | en_AU |
dc.title | Sex, subjectivity and agency: A life history study of women's sexual relations and practices with men | en_AU |
dc.type | Thesis | en_AU |
dc.date.valid | 2004-01-01 | en_AU |
dc.type.thesis | Doctor of Philosophy | en_AU |
usyd.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences | en_AU |
usyd.degree | Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D. | en_AU |
usyd.awardinginst | The University of Sydney | en_AU |
Associated file/s
Associated collections